Israeli Soldier May Face Trial For Not Fighting

December 17, 1994|The New York Times

RAMALLAH, Israeli-Occupied West Bank — Shmuel Meiri, an Israeli on army reserve duty, made a near-fatal mistake this week when he took a wrong turn and got stuck in traffic in this Palestinian town north of Jerusalem.

Within moments, his car was surrounded by a mob that smashed the windows, then stabbed him and pounded him to a bloody pulp with fists, rocks and iron bars.

Meiri, blood streaming down his face as he was led away by border police, was filmed by Palestinian cameramen. The graphic images shocked Jews and Arabs.

Having barely escaped with his life, the reservist now is in trouble with his own army.

Officers said on Friday that he may be court-martialed for not having grabbed his rifle and fired at his attackers, a failure that some senior Israelis call "a disgrace" even though Meiri, 41, says it probably saved his life.

The Ramallah incident on Wednesday touched a raw nerve for many Israelis, raising questions on multiple levels, not the least of which are the possible implications for Jewish settlers' security if the Israeli army withdraws from Arab towns in a planned next stage of Palestinian self-rule.

The Israeli military ethic also was in effect on trial. So was the behavior of the cameramen who filmed the episode instead of helping the soldier, although Palestinian photographers said there was little they could do in a mob situation.

Israeli soldiers are trained to be aggressive, and when they fall short the outcry tends to be loud.

On a visit to South Korea, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin called the incident "a scandal," lashing out as well at West Bank commanders for not having kept their man from landing "in such a foolish situation."

"The reserve soldier had to use his gun, not to cry for mercy," said Ori Orr, a former general and a Rabin political ally who heads parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee. "The Ramallah case should be used to educate soldiers how not to behave."